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General discussion

High Speed Cable VS DSL

Apr 21, 2007 1:14AM PDT

I'm moving down the hall in my building and I may be switching to DSL. I have Road Runner now with a wireless router and 2 wireless laptops, and I'm totally happy with it.

at&t has a DSL "Elite" $34.99/Month. It's supposed to be up to 6.0 megasomethings which I gather is 4 X faster than Cable. Also I'm about 100 feet from a building that sais at&t on it and has no windows, so I'm thinking that must be a terminal building.

The bottom line is that the at&t package is cheaper and ostensible faster. Has anyone had any experience here.


Thanks,


Ian

Discussion is locked

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My neighbot has dsl, I have cable.
Apr 21, 2007 1:35AM PDT

But I pay less since I get the TRI FECTA of cable tv, phone and internet. So I have the higher speed connection for less bucks (for now.)

Be sure to see what combo's are available that can get you the best deal. I pay 103 a month for all services plus that MTA rental. As to speed I've seen 8 or so megabit down and over 1 megabit up but that all depends on too many factors to write you'll always get that.

Hope this helps,

Bob

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That's what I'm looking at. at&t is offering the following:
Apr 21, 2007 1:49AM PDT

- Phone $24.99
- DSL Elite $34.99
- 3 Months Free With Cable Bill
- 1 Month Free With 1 Year Contract
- America's Top 100 $24.99


Ian

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Dsl is one quarter the speed of cable
Apr 27, 2007 9:43AM PDT

You said that DSL was 4 times faster than cable.. Wrong, it's more like the other way around. I have cable and get almost 8 MBS on downloads and close to 1 MBS uplinks. No DSL will compete with that unless you're paying for a business hookup and then you might match it for five times the price.

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It all depends where you are
Apr 27, 2007 3:26PM PDT

I am currently living in Germany and I pay about 40 euros a month for 16Mbps DSL Line. I dont believe that is offered anywhere in the states. Also there is some confusion between MBs and Mbps. Time Warner Cable's fastest residential offering is 8Mbps not MB. MB is mega-byte which is totally different size then Mbps(megabit per second). 8Mbps is 8000 bytes a second, there are 8 bits to a byte. So divide 8000 by 8 and you get 1000 bytes which is 24 bytes short of a true meg which is 1024.

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Quick correction
Apr 27, 2007 3:29PM PDT

In my previous post I state " 8Mbps is 8000 bytes a second". That is incorrect. 8Mbps is 8000 Bits per second.

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"mega" is synonymous wih "million"
Apr 29, 2007 4:54AM PDT

And so 8Mbps is actually 8,000,000 bits per second...not 8,000.

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you are correct
Apr 29, 2007 5:46AM PDT

Your are correct but that stills comes out to less than 1 megabyte per second.

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Not really
Apr 29, 2007 6:49AM PDT

I have Time Warner roadrunner cable net and it is residential, But it is 100mbps.

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Send the link
Apr 29, 2007 7:13AM PDT
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All right
May 23, 2007 11:06PM PDT

I can't send you the link, But whenever I go online it says 100 mbps. I hope Time Warner is right, But they might be telling a lie.

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it says 100Mbps...
Aug 20, 2007 8:23AM PDT

because the connection between your computer and your cable modem or router is 100Mbps. Your actual connection to the Internet will not be that fast.

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A little Heartland Input
Sep 26, 2007 12:58AM PDT

I got a little perturbed the other day when AT&T called and wanted to know if I wished to improve my Internet speed and switch to DSL from Cable? She told me their DSL was much faster than cable. When I used to have ADSL with SW Bell I typically downloaded files at around 50 to 65 kbps as compared to this:

5120 KB downloaded in 8.25 seconds
2048 KB uploaded in 30.39 seconds
Speed @ 107% of the average for dhcp.insightbb.com
96 times faster than 56k dialup
Tested on: 2007.09.26 09:47 EDT
Tested from: layeredtech.com

They should probably get their facts straight before attempting to sell their product.

Tim T
OKC/OK

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Tried them all
Apr 27, 2007 10:03AM PDT

I started with modems @ 300 bps (pre-internet) and been through most ways to connect to the net (ISDN, satellite, cable, DSL.) In the DSL vs. Cable wars, I side with Cable. I have had better RELIABILITY with cable than DSL. Maybe it was the provider, but consider if someone is working in the telco central office or on the phone lines (installing/repairing) you may lose the DSL connection. This happened to me too often. Had to make many calls re: DSL not working but phone did. Cable outages have been rare and short, and I have been on cable systems in different states.

Ed

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Check this out...
Apr 27, 2007 10:14AM PDT

It is weird that you were able to dial out and the high speed internet not working, usually, it is the other way around. The dial tone could go, and the hsi still works. Regardless, cable and dsl have different tier speeds and they are priced accordingly. All I know that in my daily work routine, I bring back subscribers to at&t all day long. It is a proven fact that every 11 seconds a customer is coming back to at&t after trying other services.

The Telephone Man!

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RE: Check this out
Apr 27, 2007 11:01AM PDT

You missed the KEY word. RELIABILITY. My most reliable connections are/were cable, NOT DSL! Pricing be damned, if it doesn't work it's isn't Priceless. Part of my income relies on the net and I had DSL outages, hours long, at critical times, doesn't matter what the cause, if it doesn't work, I can't.

Nothing to sell, no axe to grind, just my experience.
Not a cable or telco shill.

Ed

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Verizon FiOS
Apr 27, 2007 11:05AM PDT

Verizon FiOS over Cable baby!!! 50 Mbps!!

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AT&T and Integrity
Sep 29, 2007 6:20AM PDT

Here's why I will never come back to AT&T. They signed me up for a credit card, promising free calls for the first 4100. gUESS WHAT, THEY FORGOT TO SAY THAT THEIR SPECIAL RATE FOR ME WOULD BE 89cents a minute. So, while I thought I was still enjoying frr calling, I ratchetred up a big bill. This sought of trickery does backfire, and they have permanently lost me as a customer, and probably, another million more like me. Don't ever trust them.

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Typo
Sep 29, 2007 6:25AM PDT

I meant free calls for the next $100, not 4100

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Cable or DSL
Apr 27, 2007 12:29PM PDT

Why would you have to pay $34.99 a month for AT&T when they advertise nationwide their high speed pro for $24.99 a month. I think DSL is superior to cable. The price quoted for the cable package probably contains a low speed for the internet. Cable companies usually have three levels of internet speed and give you the lowest for the package. You can use your telephone at the same time as the internet with the DSL so don't be concerned with that. You may also want to consider the support options available for each. You will pay nothing for support at AT&T. With AT&T you also get their customized browser, Yahoo instant messenger and many more things you will not get with cable. Also, AT&T support is able and willing to help you with connection problems, even if they are related to your computer or operating system instead of the DSL.

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DSL VS CABLE (replying to Ian)
Apr 27, 2007 12:55PM PDT

I too have Roadrunner; I have Roadrunner "Lite" for $29.95 per month. I really can't tell much difference in the speed. I think you get locked into a contract with Bell/AT&T and you don't with cable. Good luck!

Betsy

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News flash...
Apr 28, 2007 12:50PM PDT

The contract is optional, it behooves the consumer to do the contract because they qualify for the rebate on the modem and a free month of service.

The Telephone Man!

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Replying to News Flash
Apr 28, 2007 1:28PM PDT

Well, of COURSE you are going to promote DSL if you work for the telephone company. What if you worked for the cable company? And my modem is free as long as I keep my Roadrunner. And Bellsouth (I don't know where you are located) does have contracts with their DSL.
Finally, I am in the boondocks and cannot even get DSL but if I could I would still stay with cable.

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Ahhh... To Have a choice... You wish you had...
Apr 28, 2007 1:50PM PDT

I call it like I see it. I am a als a consumer trying to get the best deal for my hard earned dollar. I have also had the opportunity to have internet with a cable connection, it was great, no problems. On the other hand, I have a better speed, lower cost internet connection with dsl vs what I had with the cable company. Ultimately, it is a matter of choice, regardless of the employer.

The Telephone Man!

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wirelesss speeds limits
Apr 27, 2007 2:36PM PDT

i'm in uk but the anawer is still same. What is the point in paying for massive speeds when its who youre connecting to what counts. If they can only upload at say 200kbs then a 1mbs or 2mbs is sufficient. Unless youre downloading from a very fast link youll never get the speed youre saying. I pay 14.99 for a silver 2mb connection from aol and plenty fast enough,I get just over a 1mb on wireless and full when i put ethernet cable inyoure paying for other people to use the speed. Fair enough if youre a buisness and you need to upload fast but an house will only get the speed of who youre connecting to. As I said im in UK but still on wireless same ,I would not pay for other peoples benefit.

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my dsl is faster
Apr 27, 2007 4:17PM PDT

my dsl from qwest (7mb) is way faster than my cable @ 7 mb i get 2.2 mb wireless and 4.3 hard wired the best i got with comcast 7 mb was 1.5 hard wired

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You are incorrect
Apr 28, 2007 2:58AM PDT

I checked qwest. You do not get 7mb, you get 7mbps which is not the same thing.

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Good Question
Apr 28, 2007 5:42AM PDT

I'm glad you've asked this question. I really wanted to know what others' experiences have been. Would you'all share the names of your providers, so we can know which to choose? I've had RoadRunner for many years and it's always been extremely reliable and very fast. I love it. But I've wanted to know if I should consider Verizon dsl or some other internet provider, like NetZero. The price of RoadRunner makes me feel like a fool, especially when I also have their tv subscription and all they've done is put a splitter on my coaxial connection. They really should allow a better price break for the dual services, imho. Thanks to all of you who have shared your thoughts on this relevant topic. btw: what is FiOS? -Devon

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RE: Good question
Apr 28, 2007 7:00AM PDT

I had Verizon DSL and Adelphia cable in So California, cable was more RELIABLE. Have local cable co. (Metrocast, regional brand in New England) now, very reliable. Had Verizon DSL in Dallas area, total disaster. PS if your DSL modem is more than 15 ft from the service entrance, it won't work, happened to me.

Never had Roadrunner, so can't comment on that. Satellite is a different issue all together, if all else doesn't work, satellite might work (provided the dish can see the satellite.)

FIOS is new fiber optic setup. You get extremely high speed, if you are lucky (or rich) enough to live in one of the few areas that have it, otherwise it is a non-starter.

But 50 gbs going through a 54 mbs or 300 mbs wireless or 10/100/1000 mbs ethernet link, the latter is the limiting factor.

mbs = megabits per sec
gbs = gigabits per sec

Ed

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Don't mean to fly off the subject - how about wireless?
Apr 28, 2007 11:44PM PDT

I don't mean to fly off about the subject, but how about wireless Internet? Unfortunately, there are are not a whole lot of options in the Flint, Michigan, area. They have been talking for quite some time about a wireless program through Genesee County, but it appears to be just talk. Meanwhile, their neighbor to the southeast, Oakland County, is going full speed ahead with their wireless program, looking to make it available to anyone at an affordable price.

What affordable (read-cheaper) options are there? Being a student, money is very tight right now.

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RE ... Wireless
Apr 29, 2007 4:27AM PDT

If you are in a limited budget, you need to determine how much you download/upload. If not downloading lots of stuff or surfing graphic intensive sites, then dial-up is the cheapest.

What does the school you are going to offer? Whats available at the library?

But if you surf and/or download a lot you need cable or DSL. Verizon and Sprint (maybe others) offer wireless cards using their cell sites. But my understanding is they are pricey.

Remember, with wireless connections, you are using a low power radio. Like your cell phone, one place may work fine and 5 feet away not connect. If you live close to the wireless tower, then probably few problems. However, then you have to consider the SECURITY issues involved in being on an open system. Most open wirelees systems I know of use "B" at 11 mbps and aren't secure. Remember that the 11 mbps is divided among all users at the time. So if there are a lot of people on the system, it will be slow.

I lived in a campground that had wireless and there were complaints about how slow the system was when more than a couple of users were logged in or a lot of data was being downloaded.

You pays your money and takes your chances.

Good luck.

Ed